Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which leads to muscular weakness. This disease causes a deterioration of upper and lower motor neurons which can result in a variety of deficits including weakness, speech difficulty, swallowing difficulty, spasticity, weight loss, muscle atrophy, shortness of breath, fatigue and eventually respiratory failure.
There is no known cause or cure for ALS. One of the muscle groups frequently affected with weakness and fatigue are the neck extensors. Due to this weakness, individuals lose the ability to control one's head even though they may continue to be independent with ambulation.
Many people with ALS who exhibit neck extensor weakness, find it difficult to ambulate due to the flexed neck position. This flexed neck position impacts the person's ability to breathe, causes unstable balance, fatigue, pain and ultimately poor quality of life.
People with neck weakness (due to ALS and other reasons) may rely on external supports for head control. Such supports include neck braces or high back wheelchairs with head supports. Multiple cervical collars are available on the market, including the Aspen collars, Head master collars, non-invasive halo, Minerva brace, SOMI brace and the MND Oxford collar. The current external supports rely upon posterior support, anterior chin support and an optional chest or back strap or plate.
It would be advantageous to have a cervical spine orthosis that further improves the quality of life, balance, mobility and breathing capacity of people with ALS and other diseases.